1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to kitchen utensils. More specifically, the present invention is drawn to a system for disengaging lids from containers, which lids may be vacuumed sealed and/or frictionally attached to the container via screw threads or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
To avoid contamination and prevent tampering, most food, beverage, and medicine containers available in the marketplace are equipped with positively engaged lids (vacuumed sealed, screw or crimped). The lids are usually covered with a removable paper or plastic seal. Once the paper/plastic seal is removed, the lid still must be disengaged from the container. In this era of mass production, mechanized means are usually employed to engage the lids to the containers. The forces utilized to effect this engagement are often relatively large and require a disengagement force that is difficult to generate by normal human hand and wrist action. Even a hardy person must sometimes resort to extraordinary effort to remove a screwed-on-too-tight lid from a jar of juice. The difficulty is exacerbated for the elderly and/or physically challenged. An efficient, easy-to-use, inexpensive system to alleviate this situation would surely be a welcome addition to the art.
There are a number of devices for assisting a user to remove lids from containers. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 268,164 (Sanberg) and Des. Pat. No. 358,745 (Collier et al.) Show designs for devices utilized to open jar lids. The Collier et al device incorporates a corkscrew. Neither patent incorporates a seal breaker, crimped cap remover or container holding device.
U.S. Pat. No. 152,940 (Bean), U.S. Pat. No. 409,148 (Haller), U.S. Pat. No. 664,352 (Gibbs) and U.S. Pat. No. 723,980 (Bogart) disclose apparatus for holding fruit jars to be filled. The holding apparatus is relatively complex and the patentees make no provision for removing the lid from the containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 671,283 (Gower) discloses a system for holding a container while affixing a lid thereto. The system of the instant patent is relatively complex and inefficient.
U.S. Pat. No. 681,283 (Waynick), U.S. Pat. No. 733,298 (Stull), U.S. Pat. No. 2,132,207 (Donovan) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,284 (Sade) show tools for removing or attaching screw type lids to fruit jars. The patentees make no provision for removing vacuum sealed and crimped lids, nor do they contemplate a device for holding the fruit jar.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,938 (Laird, Jr.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,494 (Aamodt) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,570 (Reisner) disclose strap-type wrenches for removing fuel and/or oil filters.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to disclose a jar opening and holding system as will be subsequently described and claimed in the instant invention.
The instant invention includes a pair of strap devices which are utilized in combination to enable a person (especially the elderly and/or physically challenged) to open jars or similar containers with ease and simplicity. One of the strap devices is employed as a jar or container holder. The other device is used as a strap-type wrench. The holder is designed to be permanently mounted on a vertical surface. The inside wall of a drawer or a splash board wall are ideally suited for mounting the holder. The strap-type wrench device may be conveniently stored with other small utensils or hung from a wall.
The holder device comprises a mounting bracket, a rubber strap, and a stabilizer bar. One end of the rubber strap is securely attached to the mounting bracket. The other end of the strap is a free end.
The strap-type wrench device comprises a hollow handle member and a rubber strap. One end of the rubber strap is secured to the hollow handle member. The other end is a free end. The wrench device has additional structure that can be utilized to remove vacuumed sealed, crimped or pull tab lids with relative ease.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a system for facilitating the removal of lids from containers.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system which is adapted to specifically remove vacuumed sealed, screw-on, crimped and pull tab lids form containers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a system for removing lids from containers, which system may be readily employed by the elderly and/or physically challenged.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a system for the removal of lids from containers, which system is efficient and easy to use.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which are inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing their intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.